Jar of hearts
by KazeShumi
Summary: Archie screwed things up again. Big shock there. Betty breaks things off. A rainstorm and a gay best friend help the two start to rebuild. H/c fic. Feverish Archie.


SongofSickness contribution:

By noncommitalshrug

Song: Jar of Hearts by Christina Perri

"Betty! I'm sorry!"

Betty Cooper ran up the concrete path to her house's front door. Her next door neighbor, life-long crush, and sometimes friend, Archie Andrews chased after her.

He reached and caught her wrist in his large hand as she fumbled for her keys. She glared at him and jerked her hand free of his grasp.

"Who do you think you are? You broke all your promises, Archie, to all of us… Jughead, your dad,... Me? It's like you aren't the person we know anymore. Do we even matter to you at all?"

Taken aback by this sudden attack from such an unexpected source, he stammered out a rebuttal,

"Of course you do! You all do!"

The blonde-haired girl-next-door turned to face him head on,

"It's like you enjoy this… collecting love and affection from those around you, claiming a piece of their hearts, so that you can do whatever you want with them Once you have made up your mind about what you want, that is…" She finished with a derisive laugh.

Archie colored angrily,

"IT'S NOT LIKE THAT!"

"Isn't it?" Betty stepped towards the door, "Me, Veronica, Val,... Ms. Grundy, of all people! We aren't shadows, or ghosts; content to keep haunting your steps until you can decide. I can't face taking one more step towards you. I've grown too strong for that. Let's not do this anymore, Archie…"

Archie paled, at the implications of this statement,

"Betty, don't do this!" He pleaded.

Thunder cracked overhead, hidden by dark clouds in the night sky and rain began to fall. Betty opened the door, and without looking back she said softly,

"Don't come back for me… Don't come back at all."

The door closed behind her.

Archie stood in the pouring rain, staring at the door, astonished at the night's events. He had to try one more time… He raced around the side of the house where Betty's room was. The light was on! He found a pebble and threw it with a small clack against her window. Betty's face appeared at the window, but when she saw the cause of the noise, she sighed and pulled down the blind.

Archie slumped against the side of the house, staring up at her window, trails of rain and tears on his face. He shuddered from the chilling rain and the pain of knowing he had hurt one of the closest people to him. Closing his eyes and leaning back against the siding, Archie tilted his head skyward, letting the cool rain wash the pain from his face.

The night passed away, and before Archie realized what had happened, he was been shaken by a hand, dimly aware of a familiar voice calling him from sleep.

"Archie!'

The red-head's vision cleared gradually, revealing the last person he had expected to see in front of him. A small thin face with close-combed hair was peering at him. The figure was crouched in front of him and he was dimly aware of a brief touch of fingers checking his pulse in his neck.

"K-Kevin?"

"Are you out of your sadomasochistic mind, Archie? What the hell are you doing out here? You're soaked through! What happened? Did you get locked out of your house?" Kevin unleashed a torrent of questions, barely pausing for breath, "You scared the shit out of me! Let me go get your dad."

The thinner boy was forced to pause mid step as a large hand wrapped insistently around his wrist.

"He's not here. He's out of town... t-trying to get a new crew for the S-SoDale contract…" Archie stammered, feeling dazed and cold.

Kevin knelt beside him, and said stoutly, "Then I'll call Betty. I was on my way to see her anyway."

"No… Kevin, please don't." Archie's plea was soft and pained.

"Why not? Archie, you are starting to scare me… Are you high, right now ?" Kevin demanded.

Archie shivered visibly from chill and the awful memory of the last time he and Betty spoke.

"I hurt Betty, Kevin." Tears filled the larger boy's chocolate eyes as Kevin stared in amazement, "I… I think I broke her heart. She doesn't want to have anything to do with me. She won't talk to me."

"Again? What is it with you two?!?" Kevin exclaimed with no small amount of irritation.

Archie rolled onto his knees slowly, and began to bring himself shakily to his feet, bracing himself against his house's frame.

Kevin's jaw dropped as he watched the redhead stumble to his feet. He had never seen Archie Andrews this pale before, he was almost ghostlike. He wrapped an arm around Archie's broad back and used his free hand to prop the larger boy up at the shoulder. Suddenly, the larger boy's knees buckled, almost dragging Kevin to the ground with him.

"Shit, Archie!"

"M'sorry…" was the half-whispered apology.

Kevin couldn't tell if the larger boy was even still talking to him at this point. He heaved, pulling the more muscular boy to his feet and helping him to lean on Kevin's smaller frame.

Archie's head lolled against Kevin's. He was unconscious. The thinner boy gasped as he felt the dry heat radiating from the red-haired boy's face.

"Oh god! You're on fire!"

Kevin began to search Archie's pockets for keys to get him inside the Andrews' house. Coming up empty-handed, he sighed in exasperation.

"Oh, for the love of God, you two can hate my guts later." Kevin began to haul Archie towards Betty's front door. He pushed his speed dial on his phone and soon the receiver picked up.

"Hi Kevin! Are you here? I was about to start the study session without you."

"Betty! Don't hang up on me for this, but you've gotta help Archie!"

"Kevin…" she replied, her voice confused and suspicious, "Did he put you up to this?"

"What? No! Betty, there's no time! We're out front, I need help! I can't hold him much longer…" Kevin's voice strained with the effort of keeping the football player vertical, "Betty?!?"

Moments later, Betty was at the front door. She had the presence of mind to dismiss her shock and helped Kevin drag Archie inside.

"Kevin! What the hell happened to him?" She pressed her palm just beneath his sideswept bangs, "Shit! He's got a fever!" She got the feverish boy onto the couch in the family room. "Kevin grab a big bowl of cool water and a towel, I'm going to get a blanket and some tylenol.

"Right."

The two best friends raced to grab the necessary items.

Betty, her anger at the redhead temporarily checked, returned first with a heavy quilt, a thermometer, and two capsules of fever reducer. Kevin came slower, trying not to spill water everywhere.

Betty, desperate for answers, questioned Kevin again, "How did he end up like this? What happened to him?"

Kevin stared at her in wonder, "I was on my way here and I found him leaning against the side of his house. He looked dead! I swear to god, my heart stopped! I woke him up but he wasn't really all there. He was crying and saying he was sorry and that you and he had fought. He looked like someone had pulled his heart out and left him there."

Betty swallowed her guilt and shock at this revelation, "He must have been out there all night."

Kevin looked absolutely floored, "He was out there all last night…? In the rain?!? And you just left him there?!?" His voice rose incredulously, glaring at her now.

"I didn't know he had stayed out there like a moron. A sane person would have gone inside!"

Betty rang out the excess water from the hand towel and press the cool towel against Archie's forehead. He moaned and shivered violently at the temperature change.

"Oh, Archie…" murmured Betty softly.

In response, glassy brown eyes slowly opened,

"Betty? Sh-Shit… I'm seeing things now." He laughed in a painful way that was half-sob. It made Betty's heart feel like it had a hole punched through it.

"You are a grade-A idiot, Archie Andrews…" Betty felt tears well up in her sky blue eyes.

She would forgive him. She always did. It was what nice girls did. It was what Betty Cooper did, when it came to Archie Andrews.


End file.
